Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Goodreads | Indiebound

Before you read Obsidio, make sure you check out the first two books in The Illuminae Files: Illuminae and Gemina.

The Mao is headed back to Kerenza. It’s their only option: they’re running out of fuel and resources, and they have to hope that the Kerenza IV colony hasn’t been completely wiped out. In their first stroke of luck since this entire disaster began, (some) of the colonists are alive. And they’re fighting back against their BeiTech occupiers.

We already know where the story is heading. From the beginning, it’s framed as Hanna running them through how they got home. It’s like skipping to the last page of the book. Does the middle matter anymore? Maybe, but it sure drags getting there.

AIDAN is, again, the most interesting character. What is worth a sacrifice? And what is a worthy sacrifice? Ella finds him incredibly alarming when he asks her if it’s worth killing 1,000 people to save 1,001? Your classic trolley problem on a bigger scale and in outer space. And real. What would you do?

The logistics of the Kerenza colony could use clarification. These people live in A) the middle of nowhere on B) an icy rock that cannot possibly actually sustain life. How? How do they eat? Even after the occupation? I find it difficult to believe that the army brought enough food for a 7-month occupation, and I find it difficult to believe there’s a 7-month store, even with massive casualties. Also, why are major corporations allowed to own and operate their own military forces? It feels like the UTA was begging for this to happen. It’s not adding up.

While I still found the stock character usage underwhelming, the “found family,” theme around this massive atrocity is working. Isaac Grant with Ella is the heartwarming highlight of the novel. Through this development, they were better able to help me connect with the characters in the series. For the first time, I what happened to them.

Regardless of my issues with character creation and development, I really enjoyed this series. Between the beautiful formatting and action-packed chapters, I was hooked. I found I had trouble putting the book down when it was time to go to bed (and the nightmare fuel did its job, even when I managed). If you’re looking for a new Sci-Fi Disaster/Thriller series, look no further than the Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff & Marie Lu

Goodreads | Indiebound

Gemina is the second book in The Illuminae Files, and the authors added Marie Lu as a contributor to this high-adrenaline sequel.

While the people of Kerenza IV are running for their lives in a hobbled spaceship, the messages they send to the Heimdall way station are being intercepted. Life is continuing as normal at the wormhole, and the WUC base built around it. Hanna Donnelly thinks living here with her father is so boring, she might die. She doesn’t expect that the day it gets exciting, she actually might die.

Hanna Donnelly and Kady Grant are the same. While we’re at it, Nik and Ezra are also the same. Don’t get me wrong, I like them. But they’re stock characters. Spunky, sassy teens with little substance behind them. This both works and doesn’t. Typically, I find a change in perspectives between books disorienting; I get attached to characters, which is probably why I like books in series. But a switch in characters is hard because I don’t know these new folks. Why do I care what’s happening to them?

In this case, I care because Kady & Hanna and Ezra & Nik are the same people. They make the same jokes, have the same sense of humor, and have the same determination. The difference is in their Tragic Backstory ™. Even Isaac Grant comments that he’s terrified for the day Hanna and Kady meet. This is helpful, in a way, because it provided the continuity I like.

I want to know what these authors’ obsession with the nightmare fuel is? WHY? And they narrated it through AIDAN. Which is also terrifying because he’s terrifying. Writing about/worshiping the lanima in verse did not make it suddenly palatable. Looking at them as the perfect predators through a demented, killer AI’s mind made it even spookier.

These authors do not shy away from violence, and they’re pretty clear about what’s happening. If that’s bothersome, consider whether to read this series. I understand Kady’s revenge mission, I do. The assault BeiTech planned was unimaginable and horrific to begin with, and it went even worse than it should have. On its own, BeiTech’s acts were a war crime. In the end, it turned into genocide.

For me, the hardest part of reading this book was thinking about what happens after. The point of this book was surviving a hit-team on the Heimdall station, but I kept thinking about the people who were killed. It felt like the characters had no one left at the end, which was hard to conceptualize. For me and the characters. The reader can see Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik all grapple with the reality that many of their loved ones would not survive this attack. It all felt so heavy and impossible.

Regardless of how painful this book can be to read, I find myself needing to know what happens next. What is left for them on Kerenza? What does their supply level look like – will they even make it back to Kerenza alive? Does BeiTech have any other nefarious act planned for the refugees? So I’ll be looking forward to finishing out the series with Obsidio.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Goodreads | Indiebound

The BeiTech corporation reached out to The Illuminae group to compile available information about the attack on Kerenza IV. They want to know exactly what evidence they’ll have to face when the corporation goes to trial over the botched mission. The Illuminae files are this collection of transcripts and files.

BeiTech attacked an illegal mining colony of its competitors. They killed innumerable men, women, and children of the colony, but they didn’t expect a dreadnought of the United Terran Authority to come to the rescue of the colony. Now the Kerenza refugees aboard three space ships are on the run from BeiTech’s Lincoln.

This group of ships cannot catch a break. It kind of felt like an amalgam of never-ending troubles was used to up the stakes. Don’t get me wrong, it worked. I was tense the entire time. But it was a poorly veiled, in-your-face tactic. First, they have to deal with the destruction of their home. They become refugees aboard ships that are damaged beyond repair and not designed to transport that number of people. Second, they’re being chased by one of the still-functioning enemy ships. And she’s gaining on them. Third, BeiTech released a viral bioweapon that’s running rampant on one of the ships. And a virus is really not something you want to have to deal with in such close quarters. Fourth, they’re dealing with a homicidal AI.

I loved the formatting. At first, I found it disorienting, and the opening interviews were not the strongest start, but once the reader gets the hang of it, it helps characterize the situation. The video file transcripts were transcribed like regular stories, with clipped on commentary to offer context. AIDAN’s typography added a lot to the mania of the AI’s contribution to the story. His photos and illustrations were beautiful, and AIDAN had a surprisingly poetic voice. He wrote like he understood the vastness of the universe, and the tiny insignificant speck he was protecting.

Actually, I just really liked AIDAN (apparently I’m not alone if the authors are writing a novella about AIDAN’s system damage). He’s damaged data, but it’s made him a little more… real? Not exactly human, but enough to question his sentience and what it means to be alive. Is he alive? Regardless of whether he’s alive, he’s the most nuanced and interesting character in the entire book.

AIDAN’s core directive is to protect the fleet, and through the course of the book, he makes decisions based on calculated probabilities that contradict that core directive when taken at face value. It’s an interesting conversation starter on global compassion. Is it worth cutting the loss of the few to protect the many? Do you make the active choice to kill a few unlucky people, or do you passively let fate take its course with an entire population? Classic trolley problem, but put the trolley in space with higher stakes.

Kady and Ezra are exhausting. So what if he doesn’t want to go off-planet? Go without him. Jeez. I get that this is a YA novel, so there have to be confused teenagers, finding themselves in the middle of all this chaos. But the clip-in notes are right, they’re trying to survive a deadly assault and space-chase. Find something useful to do with your illegal chat platform.

This entire book read like a disaster novel. Everything that could go wrong, did. There’s little pick-me-up to look forward to at the end. I kept getting overwhelmed by the thought that these kids have no one left but each other. It’s a war story, and it’s haunting. Like war stories are supposed to be. Here’s to hoping Kady and Ezra find some peace in Gemina (but probably not).